Deaf/HH Infusion

Proactive vs Reactive: Lessons Learned

By Levi Traxler, British Columbia H&V

I am the kind of person who takes care of and does things at the last minute; sometimes at the absolute last minute. I’m even writing this article right before the deadline! It’s difficult for me to plan far ahead with so many things I need to take care of every day. Despite my constant struggle with being able to plan ahead better, I have learned how to become more proactive when it comes to accessing information. How? There have been plenty of events in my life that forced me to become more proactive if I wanted to understand what’s going on (and that is all the time!).

One example: a hearing friend invited me to go watch a movie. At the time, I knew the cinema didn’t have the Rear Window Captioning System or Open Captions but I still chose to go because I really wanted to watch the movie and to be a part of my hearing friend’s group. They didn’t know ASL, only fingerspelling, so the conversations dragged on and misunderstandings happened often. I tried my best to watch the movie through lip-reading and using my hearing aids. It was not enough. I could only understand about ten percent of the movie. Money and time wasted for the lack of access I knew would happen.

That miserable experience forced me to start planning ahead to ensure better access. I learned to research which cinemas offer captioning. I can pick that cinema the next time we decide to watch a movie. Nowadays, almost all cinemas in our area offer captioning for their movies, which is excellent. I am able to feel more comfortable going knowing I can enjoy the movies more.

Another example: ordering and waiting for food at a fast-food location. Recently, I ordered a hotdog at Costco after a shopping spree. Costco, in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, is not accepting face-to-face orders. Instead, they are offering self-service kiosks. I ordered my food at a kiosk and then waited for my order near the fast-food bar. We all had masks on, making it impossible for me to lipread or gain any information from facial expressions to get an idea of the situation. An employee called my number to ask a question about the order, but I didn’t know my number had been called. I noticed someone staring at me. Only then did I realize what had happened, so I walked over to the food court bar.

After that experience I became more proactive by showing the worker my order number and asking them to wave when they call my number. I can finally enjoy my hotdog sooner! The experiences nowadays ordering foods, has improved greatly. I can use a mobile order app to pick up a coffee from Starbucks, and they write the order number/name on the cups so I know which one is my coffee. No more anxiety waiting for my orders.

There are other strategies I find helpful. I use the Medical Interpreting Service to request interpreters to attend doctor appointments. Life-saving, literally! When ordering online, I add a note to the order to “text me please” when the delivery arrives. No more missed phone calls. I also use Canada Video Relay Service to call ahead for information, which saves me a lot of driving time going in person.

There are so many ways for a Deaf person to be proactive to enjoy their lives more. I am still a procrastinator in many ways, but not when it comes to getting the information I need or want to know.  ~

Editor’s note: Traxler was born in Ohio in a family of Deaf and hearing siblings and lives in British Columbia where he is an early childhood educator.

H&V Communicator – Spring 2022